Myrdal Lectures

This lecture series honours Gunnar Myrdal who was the first Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe from 1947 to 1957. Gunnar Myrdal guided UNECE through the difficult early years of the "Cold War" and ensured that UNECE became truly a pan-European organization. He would later receive the 1974 Nobel Prize in Economics.

To deliver the Myrdal Lecture, UNECE invites a distinguished guest speaker representing the tradition of Gunnar Myrdal in addressing public policy issues. Open to the public, the Lecture is given at the Palais des Nations to an audience of international diplomats, academics, students and civil society.

The 2008 Myrdal Lecture, "The future of European Cooperation - a view from Moscow" was given by H.E. Mr. Sergey Lavrov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, on 12 February 2008 at 3:00 pm in Salle XIX of the Palais des Nations. - More The lecture is available in English and Russian. Watch the videos

The 2006 Myrdal Lecture, "Welfare policies in the UNECE regions: Why so different?", was given by Alberto Alesina, Chairman, Department of Economics, Harvard University, on 12 May 2006 at 3:00 pm in Salle XVIII of the Palais des Nations. - More

The 2005 Myrdal Lecture, "Global Governance: Lessons from Europe", was given by Pascal Lamy, former EU Trade Commissioner, on 22 February at 6:00 pm in Salle XX of the Palais des Nations. The lecture is available in French and English.

The 2004 Myrdal Lecture, "The Process of European Integration and the Future of Europe" was given by Prof. Joseph Stiglitz, winner of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics in 2001. - More

The 2003 Myrdal Lecture,"The Role of Institutions in Economic Development" was given by Douglass C. North, winner of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics in 1993. - More